Kartringen
Location At the southwest border of the territories controlled by the Order, a kingdom known as Kartringen has maintained it’s independence for over 400 years now. Political structure The kingdom consists of 14 smaller principalities, while the capital Guldwall is a principality as well, each ruled by a local lord more or less after their own whims. Each of them has sworn loyalty to the king however, and his orders and laws are absolute. In return, the king settles conflicts between the lords and represents the country in foreign affairs. The current king is Maximilian von Romel IV a man known for his calm temper. Principalities * Guldwall * Wurtberg * Yabern * Holweg * Pelcken * Niderbrand * Lindfurt * Seschen * Fallern * Norsaat * Pommsen * Barhein * Remen * Thurwald Capital The capital of Kartringen is Guldwall. The name, meaning golden wall, originates in the warm amber colour of the city’s walls and houses. It was erected at the end of the Drakenschweif, more or less in the center of the palace, and holds the royal castle as well as the government. Twice a year, or more if the king demands so, the lords meet here for a gathering to offer their tribute to the king. The city is famous for grandiose feasts during those occasions, lasting often several days and consuming a great amount of food and alcohol in the process. Geography Overall, Kartringen features extensive forests, covering the both the valleys and the mountains. In the south, conifer forests are the majority, while deciduous forests dominate the image of the north. There is no clear border, however, and mixed forms exist. A chain of mountains, called the Drakenschweif, rising past the southern border, roughly divides the country in half, leveling off however before it reaches the northern border. These mountains brought wealth to the surrounding principalities, as both the wood growing on them and the ores in their bellies fetch a high sum when sold to Kartringen’s neighbors. They are home to a lot of Mamono as well, though, since most of the caves and forests are deep enough to provide perfect hideouts. The Lind, Kartringen’s largest river, has it’s source somewhere in the southern peaks, although it has yet to be discovered. From there, it runs to the eastern side of the mountains, leads northwards in a wide curve to finally make a turn westwards and cross the mountains one again before entering Liesel’s pupil, a large lake. In general, the earth in Kartringen is fertile, allowing profit-yielding agriculture. These grounds are mostly used for different kind of crops, which in return gave birth to the immeasurable number of different kinds of bread Kartringen is know for among those which are interested in such things. History Until roughly 400 years ago, Kartringen was one kingdom, united among a single king who held all power exclusively. His house was said to hail from the fabled founder of Carnsteyn, how the country had been called back then. However, his reign came to an end when his only heir, a child of barely 1 year of age, had been found dead. The scriptures regarding the incident are mostly lost or destroyed, so it is uncertain what the cause of this was. The outcome, however, was fatal. Seeing the king with no heir to continue his line, local lords and upstarts, formerly loyal subjects, saw their chance to seize the power and threw the country into a civil war that lasted well over 20 years. Plagues and pillaging took their toll on the land and the people, razing roughly one third of the population before the parties acknowledged that they were stuck in a stalemate. A truce was signed that each lord should keep the territory they held at the moment, but it soon became clear that each by themself would not be able to hold off foreign invaders, planning to get their share of the country. The just settled war was about to break out again over the question who would become king, when someone suggested a neutral general, a former officer of the king, who had managed to hold the capital against all assaults for the whole time of the war. Well-respected and clearly capable, he was declared King Hanz von Romel I. and his house rules to the present day. Infrastructure Since new borders had been drawn after the war and roads and bridges were often destroyed by it, Kartringen’s infrastructure had to be remade from scratch. The king had main roads connect the capitals of each principality with each other as well as Guldwall, creating a large wheel of roads running through the land. Furthermore, rivers were cleaned and straightened to allow the use of them as transportation ways. Furthermore, the road which lead over the Drakenschweif, beginning in Guldwall, which had been neglected for ages before it was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles in the war was remade as well. Now, the capital had a direct connection to all the others, and also access to the mountain’s treasures. All this consumed almost the entire gold which had been left in the king’s treasure chamber, but it proved to be the right decision as it allowed to take up traffic and trade again quickly. Culture Since most of Kartringen’s population lives on the countryside, festivities are tightly connected to harvests. On occasions like laying out new seeds, cutting new furrows or burning the mowed the crops, festivities are held. These serve either the purpose of celebrating success, wishing for it or soothing nature’s temperament when bad weather or vermin put the produce at risk. In the cities, those celebrations are held with equal enthusiasm, although the background of harvest is lost for obvious reasons. Religion Originally, Kartringen was not a very spiritual country. The people worshipped an immeasurable number of nature spirits, ghosts and local deities, sticking to what their parents and grand-parents had been doing. During and after the war, the Order had started several attempts to invade the country, officially under the mission to bring peace and throw the king off his throne as they didn’t acknowledge him. It was clear to everyone that this was just a badly masked attempt to spread their influence, however and in the end, king Romel managed to negotiate a peace contract under the premise that the Chief Goddess’ church would be established as the state religion. The Order deemed itself the winner, but soon found out that the actual power his priests and bishop held were little to none. With a viciously complicated set of bureaucratic rules, it had to pay for each church and each chapel a far greater sum than it would be reasonable. Furthermore, local lords put stones in their way where they could, while peasants and villagers simply ignored the men in robes trying to bring them salvation. Despite that, the faith in the Chief Goddess is now roughly equally strong to the believe in nature’s spirits and deities. This is more due to the fact that the majority of churches is located in cites rather than in the countryside, though. Kartringen and Mamono Before the rise of the new Demon Lord, Mamono had been a constant threat to peasants, travelers and merchants alike, so when they suddenly turned into amiable women, the suspicion was great. However, helpful Mamono like Kobolds or Kikimoras were quickly accepted, as no peasant would turn down help offered for free. Leisurely mamono like Succubi or Satyros have a difficult time on the countryside and are more common in the cities, especially at the courts of the king or the local lords. The Order views this with grinding teeth, but he can’t do anything than hold angry sermons, since the contract with the king forbids any of it’s troops the stay in Kartringen. Economy Kartringen is rich in natural resources such as fertile ground, wood, stone and iron, but it lacks the climate necessary for luxus articles like wine or perfume. Also, the more precious ores in the mountains are difficult to reach and so, gold and silver are often imported in exchange for construction material. Foreign merchants often buy large amounts of Kartringen’s beers and bread, as almost infinite variations make both articles very popular among foreign nation. Cuisine Most chefs describe Kartringen’s food as “simple but effective”. It is aimed to taste good while bringing energy and nutrition to the eater, rather than to entertain through elaborate taste combinations or looks. Dishes found in the whole country are often altered a bit depending on where they are served, simply because the preferences differ or ingredients are easier or harder to obtain than elsewhere. Bread along with butter, cheese, meat and vegetables, milk or gruel is a must for breakfast, on special days accompanied by bacon, eggs or meat pies. For lunch, stew is the most common dish, and the same stew often boils for several days over the fire, repeatedly refilled to extend it. Dinner is kept more simple, often with just bread and butter, at least on the countryside. Naturally, the rich and noble in the big cities like to have long dinner parties to celebrate themselves. Common ingredients: Pork, chicken, beef only on special occasions, fish only in close perimeter to water, Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, asparagus, turnip cabbage, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, all kinds of beans, onions, salads Rye, wheat, oat, corn, colza Military Kartringen has no standing army. Instead, the lord under attack defends his homeland and gets compensation from the king. If necessary, the king orders the other lords to send help. Because of this practice, Kartringen is the country with the highest amount of mercenaries in the main land. Category:Location